Brown’s Search for Basketball Coach: The Short List

Almost two months after Brown decided to let men’s basketball coach Jesse Agel go, a committee assembled by new athletic director Jack Hayes searches to fill the void.

The search committee consists of various Brown athletic administrators, student-athletes, and others close to the program. A.D. Hayes first met with the committee on April 19th, officially kicking off the search process, and plans to meet with it again on Monday, April 30th, and we expect the field to be narrowed down to a few finalists. Reportedly, Hayes wants the search process to be a quick one, and hopes to reach a decision by the middle of May.

There are about 35-40 candidates in the mix, ranging from former Brown coaches to Division III coaches looking to make the transition to the D1 scene.

Currently, assistant coach TJ Sorrentine is serving as the interim head coach and his name is among a slew of candidates vying for the position. Sorrentine seems to be the preferred choice of the team’s players and parents, but his lack of head coaching experience could hurt his chances.

Al Skinner, one of the higher profile candidates in the mix, coached the URI Rams from the 1988-89 season until he moved onto Boston College in 1997, where he was named Coach of the Year nationally and by the Big East. He stands as Boston College’s all-time winningest coach, but was fired after the 2009-2010 season.

Glen Miller coached the Brown Bears from 1999 until 2006, during which time the team went 93-99, and he coached Penn after he left. Miller is currently an assistant coach at UConn, but he would love to come back to lead Brown. Bob Walsh is another strong candidate for the position, and he has gone 158-50 in his 7 seasons as the Rhode Island College head coach, leading them to 4 regular season championships in the Little East and 4 NCAA Tournament Championships.

Mike Martin is a former Brown basketball player looking to lead the coaching staff, and he has a former teammate on the search committee pushing for just that. He is currently an assistant at UPenn, but, like Sorrentine, he does not have any head coaching experience. Doug Stewart is another former Brown player turned candidate, and he currently assists former head coach Craig Robinson at Oregon State. David McLauglin rounds out our list of notable candidates, and he just finished his ninth season as the head coach of the Stonehill College Skyhawks (Division II). In his tenor, McLaughlin has garnered 178 wins, two Northeast-10 Conference Coach of the Year distinctions, and five Division 2 NCAA tournament appearances, the most recent being an Elite 8 loss back in March.

The coach-to-be has tough job ahead of him, taking over a team that went 8-23 this past season. He will be aided, however, by 15 returning players, as the team only graduates one. On paper, next year’s team looks good, and the new coach should be able to lead the Brown Bears to compete in the upper half of the Ivy League.